The world-leading modified wood, Accoya has been included in the development of two new build properties located in the South of England. The wood has been used in bespoke joinery products that have been delivered for the two properties. The first new build property in question is located in Berkshire
Novus Property solutions has announced that they will be undertaking a new project that will see the creation of a new apprentice training centre at The JCB Academy, located in Staffordshire. The national property maintenance, refurbishment and new build contractor has embarked on the development of this bran-new facility which
Skanska, the global construction company, has been operational for 125 years. The well-established business still has modern commitments to sustainability and their future. Skanska’s regional engineering site in South Yorkshire is demonstrative of the company’s intention to be green and their work towards being carbon-free. The facility has been part
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea has had a major new extension added to it. The Grade II listed gallery faced a number of challenges while developing a new extension. Primarily the main challenge was how to incorporate a modern extension with a loved historic building and also being
A few weeks ago, RGB Building Supplies announced that they had acquired TecBuild. The Bodmin Builders merchants has been acquired by the Building Supplies company in order to expand their business. RGB Building Supplies is a mixed merchant supplier that offers a range of building materials as well as landscaping
A gala film night hosted by the film critic Mark Kermode was held by The British Safety Council. The film night was organized in order to show the contributions it has made over the last 60 years towards improving health and safety. The gala event took place in the Regen
Optimising your office plan today can save you time and money in the future. The layout of your floor plan can affect everything from employee engagement to productivity. Jobs and workplace structures are in a constant state of flux and it’s becoming difficult for companies to predict which job functions
The Swiss developer and provider of cabling systems, R&M has produced a new cabling range that fulfills European and international safety standards. The global developer develops their cabling for high-quality network infrastructures that are based in Wetzikon. This new product will meet the requirements laid out by European Construction Production
OrderWise have moved into their 14,000 sq. ft. extension. The staff of the company have picked the colour scheme in the new office and have rearranged the desks in the new space located just outside Saxilby. The extension work started in June and has given OrderWise nearly doubled their floor
A new guide for the facilities management of professionals that are working with clients on BIM construction projects. The British Institute of Facilities Management has published the new guide that will act as new guidance for facilities managers. The Employers Information Requirements is a document that will support clients that
The world-leading modified wood, Accoya has been included in the development of two new build properties located in the South of England. The wood has been used in bespoke joinery products that have been delivered for the two properties. The first new build property in question is located in Berkshire and has been designed with striking exterior doors that have been made using this Accoya wood as part of the joinery package. Accoya was selected in this case as an ideal wood which has been used in this project because of the insulating properties of the wood as well as dimensional stability. The modified wood has a 50 year guarantee and has an aesthetic finish that it was agreed by both the architects and the owners of the property thought would be perfect in order to fit in with the overall exterior of the building. As for the second new home, the development used Accoya as a material for both the exterior doors and frames. This new home has been built in Winchester and the house includes tailor made bi-folding doors as well as French doors in to the property. It is thought that the insulating properties of this modified wood would make it the best option for being able to withstand the changeable weather in the UK. The modified material was included in these two properties was provided by SB Joinery, who believe that Accoya is the best product for both of these construction cases. The company are certified users of Accoya and a large selection of their products are made using the modified wood. The business recommends Accoya timber for use in windows doors and other external applications because it is so durable. The windows and doors that are made using this wood can stay in a very high level of condition as well as needing very little maintenance.
Novus Property solutions has announced that they will be undertaking a new project that will see the creation of a new apprentice training centre at The JCB Academy, located in Staffordshire. The national property maintenance, refurbishment and new build contractor has embarked on the development of this bran-new facility which will offer space for a school for those students that have an interest in both engineering and business. The JCB Academy intends to develop future engineers and business leaders by teaching the students to apply their learning to practical solutions. There has been an investment of £1.2 million that will go towards the new Apprentice Training Centre which will sit on the site of the old Dove First School, which is in Rochester. This work will be significant for the continued expansion of the company’s apprenticeship programme. The project is forecast to last 15 weeks which means that it is expected to be completed in late May 2017. Novus Property Solutions will be involved through the construction of the new 687 sq. m. facility that will be used to train apprentices in a variety of different disciplines when the project is completed. The team on site will work to completely refurbish the single storey school building that is already standing and will remodel it in order to create a new internal layout. The work will also be in line with the requirements of a modern learning environment. As well as this interior refurbishment, Novus will be working to build a new section that will be added to the front elevation. This extension will increase the footprint of the building and also provide a space that will be used as a new entranceway as well as being able to provide the Academy’s students with a social space to relax it. The new training centre will add to the other great facilities that The JCB Academy has as well as allowing the space for the latest equipment and technology. These new facilities will provide the capabilities to educate students in the area of metrology, systems and mechatronics in a higher level of detail.
Skanska, the global construction company, has been operational for 125 years. The well-established business still has modern commitments to sustainability and their future. Skanska’s regional engineering site in South Yorkshire is demonstrative of the company’s intention to be green and their work towards being carbon-free. The facility has been part of a four-year project that has led to a zero carbon office facility being produced. This project and the completed facility has managed to achieve a 94.6% BREEAM Outstanding score. The facility, Bentley Works is the engineering and manufacturing facility for Skanska UK. The facility is located 3km north of Doncaster and it is thought that the project costs £14 million. The company acted as both developer and main contractor as part of this project and were involved in the demolition of the buildings that were previously on the site. The new sustainable facility has been developed on the site of some office and workshop buildings, that were torn down in order to make way for the 1,800 sq. m. office building. The floor space for the office building is separated over two floors and the facility also has 3,135 Sq. m. workshop for fabrication and machines. There is a workshop building and a paint shop building that were saved from demolition, which has undergone refurbishment. The buildings on the project are classed as “Deep Green” which essentially means that they have a near zero impact on the environment as well as being designed to be future proof. The environmental rating of this project is the best ratings received by Skanska. The project is also a UK first and was designed in conjunction with BREEAM methodology. The features of the project that made it more sustainable include Skanska not sending any waste to landfill and employing local contractors. Only employing contractors from the Yorkshire area means that they also provided a boost to the local economy.
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea has had a major new extension added to it. The Grade II listed gallery faced a number of challenges while developing a new extension. Primarily the main challenge was how to incorporate a modern extension with a loved historic building and also being able to create a sensitive link between the two. The architects on this project faced a tough challenge when tackling this project as it also involved the addition of a new gallery, community and education rooms as well as a lecture theatre and a screening room, conservation studios and collection stores. All of these different requirements needed to be added to the existing neo-classical brick and stone building. The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery was completed in 1909 originally but has faced expansion works that would see a new street level entrance as well as a bigger brighter reception in order to welcome the visitors. The designers have created an extension which they hope will preserve the symmetry of the original façade. This means that the designers also had to create a sense of separation externally between the extension and the gallery itself. However, the design also had to create the best experience possible for the visitors by internally connecting the two elements and allowing the visitors to move between the original building and the extension. In total for the extension, 70 sq. m. of glass was used for the project. The outer panes were Pilkington K Glass™ which has a low-emissivity hard coating that would reduce the amount of radiated heat that has been lost from the building which has improved the energy performance of the space. This type of glass was provided by Pilkington United Kingdom. The link created by the low-profile structural glazing connects the two buildings on three levels which makes the extension feel more unified with the original building for the visitors of the Art Gallery.
A few weeks ago, RGB Building Supplies announced that they had acquired TecBuild. The Bodmin Builders merchants has been acquired by the Building Supplies company in order to expand their business. RGB Building Supplies is a mixed merchant supplier that offers a range of building materials as well as landscaping goods and decorating materials and damp proofing products. The business has been working out of the Devon, Cornwall and Somerset areas for the past 160 years. Therefore, RGB has managed to expand in order to become one of the South West’s leading independent builder’s merchants. Now that they can add the Bodmin branch to thei9r collection of locations, the building supplies merchant will now be operating out of 19 different locations in the South West of England. TecBuild was formerly owned by Phil and Jo Northey. The former owners are expected to sill carry on being involved in the business now that is has been acquired by RGB Building Supplies. It was also stated that all the TecBuild staff will be kept on at the branch. This is good news for the Bodmin branch workers, and will mean that the former employees will still be able to have some involvement in the business. The former owners of TecBuild will be working alongside the CEO of RGB Building Supplies, Kevin Fenlon as well as with the Bodmin Branch Manager Steve Best in order to give RGB a boost when expanding into the Bodmin area. TecBuild has previously managed to build a very loyal client base in the area and hopefully this means that RGB will be able to capitalize on that client base in order to succeed in this new location. It has been mentioned that it is important to RGB Building Supplies that the former bosses of TecBuild are still playing an important role in the business, and RGB will be able to offer their larger client base in order to help the Bodmin location flourish.
A gala film night hosted by the film critic Mark Kermode was held by The British Safety Council. The film night was organized in order to show the contributions it has made over the last 60 years towards improving health and safety. The gala event took place in the Regen Street cinema and the British Safety Council presented their recent achievements and the plans for the future in the style of a film festival. The event took place on the 23rd March, and is a celebration of the charity and membership organisation. The evening was launched in order to show the film British Safety Council at 60. The film shows the story of the start of the British Safety Council in 1957 as well as the significant growth that has been achieved by the campaigning organisation in order to transform the Health and Safety standards in Britain. The film uses long lost archival footage and focuses on James Tye, the founder of the organisation. The founder was considered charismatic although sometimes thought to be controversial as he attempted to improve health and safety during a period of time where hundreds of people were being killed each year at work, with inadequate and piecemeal laws there to protect the workers in Britain. The film will include footage of James Tye at work with campaigning and training, but will also show photographs of the founder with celebrities including Barbara Windsor. As part of the event, the guests were given a book entitled ‘Beware! Watchdog with fearsome bark’ which holds posters and other documents that have been commissioned over the years by the British Safety Council. The guests at the event also saw the launch of the competition to mark 60 years of the organisation. The guests watched the four finalists’ pieces as well as the winning piece by Juan Cruz-Hernández. The event will also look to the future of the council and how the gig economy and the ageing workforce can impact the future for the British Safety Council.
Optimising your office plan today can save you time and money in the future. The layout of your floor plan can affect everything from employee engagement to productivity. Jobs and workplace structures are in a constant state of flux and it’s becoming difficult for companies to predict which job functions there will be in the next few years. That’s why businesses are responding by creating workspaces with built-in flexibility and optimised office plans. Previously unheard of job roles have developed in response to technological advances, so companies need to optimise office plans and to adapt to new jobs and equipment. Here are some tips for optimising your company’s office plan. 1. Utilise Office Space Effective use of space enables you to reduce accommodation and utility costs, drive down your environmental footprint and improve working conditions. Our Space Planning & Design team can help you plan your space for maximum efficiency and cost control. Analysing how your staff actually use the space is a good step towards designing a workplace that increases staff satisfaction and productivity. In London, space is at a premium and businesses are finding new ways to optimise the space they have by utilising open plan hot-desking, multifunctional rooms with moveable partitions and innovative storage solutions. Integrated technology can really help with saving space and chairs, sofas and desks now feature hidden and discreet power points and wireless technology solves the problem of messy wires placed all over the office. Choose Comfortable Chairs and a Good Seating Plan Good seats designed for back support and mobility, combined with versatile furniture, are great tools for an optimised office space and seating plan. Where you seat people is vital for workplace productivity, so you need to think of this in terms of department, skill sets, personality, competition and the need for mentorship and supervision. Environmental factors, such as lighting and air conditioning, can impede on your perfect seating plan because no one wants to sit under an uncomfortably cold blast of air all day. Mix open and closed office spaces to suit different working styles and make sure you minimise distractions with sound absorbent furnishings and layout. Our award-winning design for Natixis’ Global Asset Management (NGAM) included adaptable furniture using bench desking, finished with acoustic screens. If optimised, the seating plan can be rearranged or adapted at any time, allowing business operations and workflow to proceed smoothly. 3. Encourage a Sense of Community The seating plan should allow for easy communication between staff and different departments. Modern offices are now designed predominantly to encourage collaboration, even in traditionally non-creative industries. Pockets of collaboration whether in private offices or in open spaces now encourage staff interaction. In fact, more office workers than ever now work on a consultancy basis or hot-desk, so workspaces need lots of temporary desks or touchdown spaces to accommodate them. These should be spread around with access to different departments to improve communications and a sense of belonging. The majority of NTT Data UK’s staff consist of consultants, so we designed their office space with hot-desking and collaboration in mind. Our designers used plenty of inviting bright colours, touchdown spaces, meeting rooms with folding walls and a choice of working areas. Create Multipurpose Spaces An innovative floor plan makes use of every single space from hallways to landings, and places furniture where hot-deskers can work and impromptu meetings can take place. Some creative companies strapped for space use open areas in the office to hold large meetings that allow staff to sit and participate from the stairs. Multipurpose spaces are being utilised by employers for everything from multimedia presentations to casual breakout areas. Bristol-based EMO & TRA are marketing and company branding agencies that were relocated under one roof, necessitating good communications. This involved fitting a new spiral staircase to link the companies, booths for group work and an open space with a blackboard that allows for brainstorming and collaborative work. Utilise Natural Light Good lighting in the workplace is vital; both too much and too little can have a negative impact. One thing that experts agree on is that natural light is best. Make sure your office has enough windows and if you don’t have enough windows, natural light can come from other sources such as skylights. Daylight aids our circadian rhythms (our own in-built clocks) to be in sync with our local environments, but today’s artificial environments can block this synchronisation. Therefore, it helps to get as much natural help with the process as possible. Bring Nature Inside The psychological benefits of bringing nature into the office have been well-documented. This can include anything from plenty of sunlight and plants in the office to water features and nature integrated into the office furniture and artwork. Helix Property, UK property management service providers, decided to set a good example to clients by filling their reception area and atrium with live planters, including in the back of seating. The modifications included the installation of a moss wall. If you’d like help with optimising your office plan, please contact Interactive Space.
The Swiss developer and provider of cabling systems, R&M has produced a new cabling range that fulfills European and international safety standards. The global developer develops their cabling for high-quality network infrastructures that are based in Wetzikon. This new product will meet the requirements laid out by European Construction Production Regulation. R&M have managed to meet these requirements ahead of time. The company has been working to label installation cables with the fire protection classification that is defined in the CPR. The pre-terminated cabling systems will also be receiving the appropriate labeling from the 1st July. It is the aim of the CPR to protect people in buildings from the effects of a fire in an emergency. Therefore, the focus of the Construction Production Regulation will be on making sure that the cables that are permanently installed in buildings must be tested and labelled. The fire behavior of these permanently installed cables must be noted from July 1st. Through this regulation, data and communication cable are going to be the most affected. Both copper and fiber optic cables will be impacted by the directive as well as pre-assembled cabling links if they will remain in the building permanently. R&M have already adjusted their cabling range in order to meet European and international safety, fire and health standards earlier than required. This means that the company’s cabling will be able to offer the market products for all fire protection classes. This could give them a competitive edge, having already worked to reach the regulation levels. Using the CPR, the EU makes the fire protection properties of each product comparable. However, each member state has to individually define the minimum fire class required depending on the application. This means that the requirements could still vary widely around Europe. It is advised that planners and installers check the local area requirements before specifying the fire class.
OrderWise have moved into their 14,000 sq. ft. extension. The staff of the company have picked the colour scheme in the new office and have rearranged the desks in the new space located just outside Saxilby. The extension work started in June and has given OrderWise nearly doubled their floor space of their premises. The office is situated in Newton Court, and staff that are part of the business intelligence and software specialists have moved back in to the premises. The £1.3 million building has been completed and has welcomed the sales, marketing, client services and reports teams from OrderWise. The extension was carried out by Kuno Jackson Building Limited and has occurred after the business intelligence company has had a bust period for recruitment. The number of employees in the company has expanded from 80 in 2015 to over 165 currently. Due to this rapid expansion OrderWise needed more space to accommodate the staff, and have moved into the new building that links to the rest of the office. The land that is located opposite the businesses premises has also been purchased with a view to develop a car park for their expanding workforce. The intelligence and software company also have a larger mock warehouse as part of the extension which acts as a simulation area that has been designed to train new staff and improve the existing software. This warehouse also has the possibility of being used to show potential clients how OrderWise’s products work in real time and practical situations. Therefore, the extra space will be beneficial to the growing company and could lead to future expansion. The new extension was built to accommodate the growth in staff but also to create more comfortable and productive working conditions for the workforce at OrderWise. These new and bright offices will be followed by a new staff canteen that will be added to the building later this year.
A new guide for the facilities management of professionals that are working with clients on BIM construction projects. The British Institute of Facilities Management has published the new guide that will act as new guidance for facilities managers. The Employers Information Requirements is a document that will support clients that use Building Information Modelling. The document is 47 pages long and presents the information in a user-friendly way. The Employer’s Information Requirements shows the user how to specify their exact requirements for the design and the construction phase of a build. The document also provides advice for expressing their requirements throughout a full life-time operation. The intention behind the Employer’s Information Requirements documents will be the support of Facilities Managing professionals as well as their clients that can provide a template that will allow clients and the facilities managers to meet any individual requirements that there may be for the project. This template provided by The British Institute of Facilities Management can be tailored for both the client and the facilities manager in order to get the most benefit out of the information. This new document follows previous advice published by the BIFM in Operational Readiness Guide for Facilities Managers which has been out in circulation since April 2016. Since last April, the Central Government has been commissioning construction projects that would require the BIM in order to procure and deliver the project. It is thought that the BIM will be able to streamline the construction process which means that projects will be able to deliver improvements in cost as well as carbon reduction. It is thought that BIM is being used by a wide variety of private sector clients and across a wide range of built assets. The Employer’s Information Requirements has been published to complement the other guidance that has been published by the BIFM and will continue the support of facilities management professionals as they work to understand their role within the BIM process.